The Munster Council has strongly refuted claims that the city end terrace at the Gaelic Grounds was overcrowded for last Sunday's Munster SHC final between Tipperary and Clare. A number of spectators at that end of the Limerick venue complained of severe discomfort and also reported fighting as well as heavy alcohol consumption. A fracas which broke out before the game was captured by the TV cameras. A steward on duty at the game, which attracted an attendance of over 48,000, said: "I would estimate that there were 2,000 too many on the terrace. And I saw at least 20 people approaching another steward with stand tickets. "These people got into the terrace but once they saw how packed it was, they decided that they wanted to return to the stand. The other main issue was that there were no gardai at all on the terrace. "I never saw a terrace as packed. I was physically interfered with by people who were trying to muscle their way up the terrace but there was no room there. In general, supporters have very little respect for stewards and only the widespread presence of gardai will overcome this." However, Munster Council secretary Pat Fitzgerald denied that the terrace was not filled to capacity. "People's tickets were scanned on entry so they were double-checked. The terrace was not filled to capacity and the figures speak for themselves," he said. "I was on the terrace on Sunday for the minor and senior games. There were some areas with quite an amount of space but some people would not move to allow others in. One of the problems with terraces in general is that people tend to stand one step behind barriers and not on the step at the barrier itself." Fitzgerald also insisted that there were up to 16 gardai on duty at the city end terrace during the game. Tweet

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